Gator Foam Case Dreadnought-12

My son's Harley Benton PB-Shorty Bass is taking to much punishment on its regular journey to and from school on the bus. This case is strong, light and offers a lot more protection than the gig bag he has been using.

It is hard to find a good case that protects the shorty bass. This is pretty good, body is deeper than needed for the bass body, so I have added a layer of foam to support the bass. And the stock tuning pegs stick out a bit too far so we have had to push in the foam a little around the headstock to protect the tuning pegs. I'm tempted to swap out the tuning pegs for something shorter then it will be ideal protection on the school bus journey.

Despite being labelled as for '12 string' guitars, there is not a lot of extra room at the top of the headstock and a normal 6-string dreadnought fits perfectly without too much excess. For a rigid foam case these are really excellent. The covering is tough and resistant, the foam itself nicely rigid with very good shock absorbing qualities. The zippers have good-sized grips and all of the straps are well made. For normal day-to-day use these are hard to beat. They are not a replacement for a true flight case in extreme situations, but for carrying locally are wonderful. If I was not pretty confident I would not be carrying my 1945 Martin D-18 in it. While it goes in a Calton for long distance travel, locally, it goes in this Gator.

I bought this case because I needed a lightweight, secure case in which to bring my dreadnought to sessions and gigs. For that purpose, this is exactly right: the guitar is well protected, fits snugly in the case, the back-straps are excellent, and the case with guitar inside still feels light as a feather! Importantly, this is not a gig-bag; it's a real guitar case! I would recommend this case and regard it as good value for money. One slight drawback is that after 4 months of use the zip on the bigger of the outside pockets seems faulty and can remain open after zipping. Overall, though, if like me you are tired of lugging instruments around in very heavy cases but you still want your guitar to be well protected inside this foam case is well worth checking out.

I have GATOR cases for 2 instruments I bought by Thomann (everytime instrument+the case at once), one is my Guitar, another one is 5-string banjo. Both cases are OK and I can not write down anything bad.
Making decision between hard case and GATOR, I made good choice to buy the GATOR. The protection is comparable, but GATOR is lighter and much better looking. Also side pockets are useful. I store my instruments in these cases at home and use them for traveling (car), too. My little daughter already tried "ride horse" on the guitar one - no wound to case, as well as the instrument. They had been fallen down by my little darling from standing position to the floor - again, no problem.
I was worry that the zippers will be damaged gradually - but do not worry...two years no accident.
Simply: Good and nice looking case. Making decision again, I go to Gator.

Petr